Food Coloring

Food colorings are substances added to foods and drinks to give them color, or to make their natural color stronger. They can come from natural sources like plants, minerals, or insects, or they can be made synthetically in a lab.

Manufacturers add food colorings to make food look more appealing, to identify flavors, or to make up for color lost during processing or storage. They are often found in candies, baked goods, soft drinks, and snacks.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates food colorings as color additives, requiring them to be approved before they can be used in food. The FDA announced in April 2025 a plan to phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes, including Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Citrus Red 2, and Orange B. Additionally, the FDA revoked the approval of Red 3 for food use in January 2025, with manufacturers having until January 2027 to comply. Concerns have been raised about a possible link between some synthetic food colorings and hyperactivity in children; however, scientific evidence on this topic is mixed, and regulatory bodies continue to review the data. International bodies like JECFA and EFSA have evaluated many individual food colorings and have set acceptable daily intakes for many of them.